Ventilated spacer



'ug- 28, 1952 s. P. CRANE ETAL VENTILATED SPACER Filed March 23, 1960 Hg. z

INVENTORS Samuel R Siephe Crane n D. Kani' i TTORNEY United States Patent On 3,050,749 VENTlLATED SPAQER Samuel P. Crane, Warwick Road, Great Neclr, NX.,

and Stephen D. Kent, 567 Liberty Sn, Newburgh, Filed Mar. 23, 1964i, Ser. No. lLiel 9 tClaims, (Cl. 53i7) This invention relates to ventilated seat spacers or cushions employing inner coiled -wire units and pertains particularly to Le casing therefor.V

The invention contemplates the provision or a casing having a decorative design in colors applied to selected areas of the open mesh fabric underlying cover of the casing, said cover being provided with an additional outer protecting and wear resisting open mesh, foraminous or net-like cover or" suitable relatively inexpensive synthetic plastic material having openings therein of larger dimensions than those of the underlying cover and through which the design is visible. l

The invention further contemplates the provision of a Ventilating seat spacer casing comprising a pair of ventilating net-like covers secured in face to face relation, the outer cover being formed of plastic having smooth slippery surfaces to permit the user to slide easily on and oli the Spacer as when getting into or leaving an automobile seat on which the spacer rests, the outer cover serving to protect the col ring material of the design on the underying cover from abrasion by and from contact with and damage to, the clothes of the user, without loss of ventilating eiect.

The invention further contemplates the provision or" a casing having an underlying net-likeventilating cover of dimensionally stable material for the inner coiled unit,

' the cover being optionally smaller than the unit to provide elongated end and edge Ventilating openings in the casing and being secured to an outer net-like cover of dimensionally unstable material covering such openings and protecting the underlying cover and anchored thereto against material distortion and changes in size.

The various objects of the invention will be clear from the description which follows and from the drawings, in which HG. l is a plan view of a Ventilating spacer or cushion with parts of the covers and edge binding broken away to show the underlying parts, the dotted lines indicating the stitching.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the two net-like or open mesh covers of the casing showing coloring material applied to an area of the underlying cover.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view, similar to FiG. l, of a modified form of the underlying cover, showing it smaller than the coiled unit and showing tabs projecting from said cover into the edge binding.

PEG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the edge portion of the spacer shown in FG. l.

FlG. 5 is a similar view of a modied form of the casing wherein the underlying cover terminates in bound or taped edges and ends, in inward spaced relation to the binding of the casing and thereby providing Ventilating openings at the sides and ends of the casing.

FIG. 6 is a similar View of another modified form ofthe spacer, similar to FIG. 6, but wherein the edges of the underlying cover are protected from raveling by a honding coating of suitable material.

Patented Aug. 28, 19%2 ICC FIG. 7 is a similar sectional view taken on the line 7 7 of FIG. 3 and showing the projecting tabs of the underlying cover entering and held within the edge binding.

The wire coiled unit may be of any suitable form but as shown, is of the type disclosed in the Crane Patent No. 2,301,681. ln said patent, the llattened coils of rows as it? and 1l of coiled wire intersect and are interlocked, the rows being formed or" a length of coiled wire wound around a thicker border wire as l2. Flfhe bottom cover 13 forming the under side of the casing for the unit is of any suitable net-lire or other material such as the open mesh fabric heretofore used of twisted paper yarn.

ln the present invention, however, the cover which cornes into contact with the user of the spacer and which will be termed the upper cover, consists of two net-like sheets as l5 and i6, di-ering considerably in structure, material and function. The underlying sheet 15 of the upper cover mai, it desired, be of the same material as that or the bottoni cover i3, or it may be of other suitable material wnici is substantimly resistant to permanent distortion, or in other words, is dimensionally stable, such as a textile open mesh fabric ofV inexpensive yarn not necessarily lono lasting nor highly resistant to wear. Whatever the yarn used, it is such that when it is coated with igmented or coloring material or paint having adhesive properties, the material or paint does not readily peel 0r wear oli.

Selected areas as 17, i3 (FIG. l) are coated with the paint coating 19 (BGS. 2 and 4) as by spraying, stencil-V ling, printing or the like, in any desired design and color combinations for decorative or advertising purposes or the like. rEhe paint, by adhering to the threads of the cover, bonds said threads as 2Q, 2l together at the intersections thereof and aids to strengthen and to maintain the dimen sional stability of the underlying cover, while decreasing only to an immaterial extent, the areas of the openings 22, by reason of the thinness of the coating. The painted areas i7, l5 may be as large or vas small as may be desired to produce a practically unlimited range of designs and eiiects and the entire cover may be like-colored as desired.

Since applied coloring material might stain the clothing ot' the user as the material wears GE under contact with the clothing, and since such material is not usually suiiiciently resistant to abrasion to insure that it will be retained by the fabric under the stresses of use of the spacer or cushion, means are provided to protect the paint coating from contact with the user and to take the greater part o the wear and frictional stresses generated as the user sits on the spacer and moves about while seated on the seat section 23 or leans against the back section 24.

Such means takes the orrn of the net-like or open mesh outer cover lo, preferably of relatively inexpensive synthetic ileriible plastic material such as polyethylene or the like. As shown, the sheet forming the cover i6 is extruded or molded in one piece with relatively large openings 25 therein, larger than the openings in the underlying cover 15. When transparent, the outer cover 16 hides only an insignificant amount of the painted areas Kwhich are easily visible through the openings 25 and through the transparent cover. When the cover is opaque, the pattern of the casing or design is made frequently even more attractive in appearance.

In any case, the openings 25 permit adequate circulation of air and ventilation. The surfaces of the mesh sheet 16 are smooth and slippery, whereby the user can slide on to and od the seat without generating a material amount of friction'or disturbing the position of the spacer on theseat on which the spacer rests.\ Such plastic mesh L may tend to stretch `or distort permanently if permitted to Y Y Vdo so under loads, especially if made of inexpensive or relatively thin material with wide openings. To maintain run inV iany desired direction and cover yany convenient' area, and that it'v may be replaced by'suitable adhesive ap- Y plied 'betweenr the sheets 15 and 16, or that both yadhesive and stitching may be'employed to secure the sheets to each other., At-the hingearea arranged transversely between the adjacent parts of the sections 23 `and 24, Vthe coiled Wire unit is omitted, and the upper cover 16 is secured directly to the underlyingrcover and to the bottom cover.V

13 as -by the transverse line of stitching 29. The edge binding tape 30 is folded in half about those marginal portions 31 of all the covers 13, 15 and 16 which portions project beyond the border wire 12 land are stitched together and to the binding tape by the stitching 32. Such marginal portions may extend downwardly and outwardly past the lborder wire so that the lowermost edge of the binding is normally below the bottom cover 13 (FIGS. Y

4-7). Thethus bound marginal portions ofthe casing are biased to a position in angular relation to the plane f of the upper cover land are relatively stiff though yieldable. Said portions add some resilience to the spacer and at times permit air to pass thereunder and between the spacer and the seat or back as the user moves about `and. compresses one part Vof the portions 3-1 to cause another part to rise under the resulting tilting action. vSince such portions are biased out of the plane of the upper cover, they cannot interfere with the sliding movement of the user on to or oli the spacer.

. In the forms of the invention shown in FIGS. 3, 5, 6

Vand 7, the underlying cover is `made smaller than the inner wire unit to provide elongated openings 33 in the upper part of the casing between the edges of the underlying cover and the :adjacent inner edges of the binding 30, the openings being partly covered only bythe outer cover 16. To insure against raveling of the marginal portions 34 of the underlying cover 35 of FIG. 5, said portions are enclosed all around said cover withina second binding tape 36 stitched thereto by the stitching A37 in the Y Vsaine manner as the binding 30 is secured. Air Vreadily the cover. 'Ihe coating may be applied in lany suitable manner as by spraying, stencilling, dipping or the like.

In FIGS. 3 and 7 are shown tabs as 39 which project outwardly'at intervals from the edges of the underlying cover 40 across the openings 33 and enter and are secured within the binding tape 30 to insure against any undesirable shifting of the upper cover which might possibly occur. The edges of the underlying cover may be sealed against raveling as hereinbefore described, the coating 38 being illustrated in FIG. 7 :for that purpose.

It will now be seen that by the use of a plastic open mesh auxiliary or additional cover for the casing, it becomes possible safely to decorate the underlying cover and to protect not only the decorated 'areas but also the underlying cover throughout against Wear; that by lanchoring to each other the sheets constituting the upper cover, the dimensional stability of the cover is preserved; that additional elongated and relatively wide Yedge openings yare provided if desired, to aid ventilation and that the intended anew/49 purposes ofthe invention have been .adequately attained.

Y the sheet and decorating said areas, and an outer open mesh ilexib'le sheet extending beyond the frame and superV While certain specicforms of the invention have herein been shown and described, various Aobvious changes may be made therein without ydeparting from the spirit of the invention dened in the appended claims, such as the use of open mesh Ventilating sheets of any type or material for any or" the covers, and the use of any suitable inner spacer unit whether coiled orof wire or other material or form.

We claim:

Yl. In a Ventilating spacer, an inner unit and arcasing for the unit, the casing comprising an inner open mesh sheet, selected pigmented areas on the sheet constituting decora-V tion, and an outer mesh protecting sheet, therinner sheet being smaller than the outer sheet and having the edges thereof `arranged in inward spaced relation to the re-Y spective adjacent edges of the outer sheet to provide elon-` gated ventilating spaces between'the edges of the inner `and outer sheets, the spaces being .coveredin part only by the outer sheet, the openings in the mesh of the Vouter sheet .being suthciently large to expose the greater parts of the pigmented areas to View. f Y

2. The Ventilating spacer of claim Kl, the marginal portions of thedecorated sheet being sealed against raveling.

3. The Ventilating spacer of claim l, spaced apart tabs projecting outwardly at intervals from the `decorated sheet between adjacent elongated spaces and means securing the tabs to thefadjacent parts of the outer sheet. i Y

4. The Ventilating spacer of claim 3, the inner unit including a border frame, the edges of the inner sheet 'between the tabs being free, the securing means being binding tape enclosing the marginal Vparts, of the outersheet and the tabs and biasing said parts into angular relationV to the general plane of the sheet.

S. In a Ventilating spacer, having van inner coiled Wire,

unit, a bottom cover for the unit, an upper cover for theY` sheet against wear and `abrasive deterioration Whenthe spacer is in use.

6. The Ventilating spacer of claim 5, the outer Sheet being anchored to the underlying sheet to secure dimenisional stability thereof and having smooth slippery suraces.

7. The Ventilating spacer of claim 5, the underlying sheet having intersecting threads and being dimensionally stable, the coating being thin and bonding the threads to' gether at the intersections @thereof in said selected areas, the openings in the underlying sheet at said areas remainlng open.

8. A Ventilating spacer comprising an inner spacer unitY comprising a border Wire Vframe and shaped members se-v cured to the trame, and a Ventilating casing for said unit, the casing comprising an inner sheet of open mesh fabric, a coat of coloring material arranged at selected areas of imposed on the inner sheet, the vdecorated'areas of the inner sheet being Visible through the outer sheet and bev' Y ing protected thereby against wear and against contact with theY body of the Yuser of the spacer, the outer sheet being of suicient thickness for such protection.

9, In a Ventilating spacer, an inner air-permeable spacer unit, a Ventilating cover for the unit having a multiplicity of closely spaced apart Ventilating `openings therein and wearing cover, the other underlying one of the sheets haV-.

being of suiicient thickness for such protection, and means for holding the unit and the cover together, the under- FOREIGN PATENTS lying sheet having intersecting threads and a thin pig- 429,325 FFIlCe July 13, 1911 mented coating at said selected points bonding together 10 the threads of said areas -at the intersections thereof. 

